Magnetic recording tape is commonly used to store digital data because magnetic recording tape is inexpensive and provides significant data storage capacity per unit volume. Consequently, magnetic recording tape remains an active component in many business operations, especially where large amounts of data must be backed-up for archival purposes. Magnetic recording tape may be housed in a tape cartridge or cassette, which protects the magnetic recording tape from damage. For example, a tape cartridge generally includes either one or two tape reels for storage of the magnetic recording tape within the tape cartridge.
Data may be read from, or written to, the magnetic recording tape by inserting the tape cartridge, which contains the magnetic recording tape, into a tape drive. Tape drives typically include a tape loader mechanism that receives the cartridge and prepares the tape for reading and/or writing by the drive. For example, the tape loader mechanism can include a cartridge slot, an elevator, and one or more components for coupling the magnetic tape reel to read/write components of the drive. The tape drive can then pass the magnetic recording tape across a read/write head contained within the tape drive.
Some tape loader mechanisms, such as those included in certain tape drives produced by Oracle Corporation, use a so-called “buckling mechanism” for coupling the magnetic tape reel to read/write components of the drive. For example, some drives use a so-called “two-leader threading mechanism” that involves effectively coupling a cartridge reel tape leader (e.g., an unrecorded portion of tape, or the like, connected to the end of the magnetic tape in a tape cartridge) with a drive reel leader (e.g., an unrecorded portion of tape, or the like, connected to a take-up reel in the tape drive) to permit the drive take-up reel to take up the magnetic tape from the drive. The buckling mechanism can be used to perform the coupling by buckling the cartridge reel tape leader and the drive reel leader together, after which a tape drive motor can wind the drive reel leader onto the tape drive take-up reel. This can cause the magnetic tape to be pulled from the tape cartridge through the drive's tape path.